Today I received an e-mail that has set me all at odds with myself. After having missed the deadline for Cooperstown's quilt guild's quilt show, I told myself that I must not have really wanted to enter it in the first place. Why else would the date have slipped by unnoticed? I felt some regret because I had been invited to enter, and it seems impolite to ignore that kind of invitation. Some regret, but that's all.
Now this morning, I receive an e-mail from the Vermont Quilt Festival telling me "there's still time" as their deadline for entries has been extended to February 20th. Oh. Now what? Do I want to enter? I don't feel the need to win anything, but . . . It would be nice to get the feedback from the judges. What did I do well? What is not very good? What should I be thinking about the next time I work on a quilt?
Then there's the one quilt maximum. Which quilt would I enter? "Jack" with its lumpy binding but strong design? "Miss Ruby" with her pleasing colors? "Daisy" with her strong family history of sewing? Or "Music" with its wheeling stars and night fantasy?
Should I or shouldn't I and why? Is this another experience I should embrace or is it merely vanity?
What am I thinking of? Help!
Enter, enter, and enter again. Yes, it might be partly vanity, but it's a good way to gauge your acceptance in the larger community. Just entering once tells you nothing as so much depends on the perspective of the judge(s). My last show at the library I did half heartedly thinking the work very inferior. I had far more positive responses than when I did my first show which, yes, pumped me up to keep at it. Dave is a firm believer of entering juried shows, much more than I am. But he has a point. It's good to have others evaluate your work. By the way, I'm so sorry you did not exhibit at Cooperstown. Get it together for the next show. That's an order!
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